


You Take the High Road and I’ll Take the Low Road

by ssunrise



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Crowley Was Raphael Before Falling (Good Omens), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 04:01:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20923835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssunrise/pseuds/ssunrise
Summary: In which Aziraphale and Crowley knew each other Before in Heaven and in which I make myself sad. I’m using the Crowley was Raphael headcanon because some of my friends like it, it works for the clarity of this story, and I don't have time to do all the research and come up with my own headcanon for Crowley's old name.





	You Take the High Road and I’ll Take the Low Road

“Aziraphale!”    
  
The angel jumped, his eyes flying open as he let out a small yelp. The images he had been studying in his mind vanished. He had been researching the Lord’s plans for the beings called humans. As the future Guardian of the Eastern Gate, he figured he should try to get to know as much as he could beforehand, so he could do a good job protecting the creatures.   
  
“Hey, sorry,” Raphael apologized, though smothering a chuckle. He leaned up against the doorway of Aziraphale’s study.   
  
“You’re back early,” Aziraphale noted.   
  
“Yeah, well, I worked quickly on this one. I had this idea. Do you want to see it?”   
  
“See what?” He was still a bit dazed from being jolted out of his focus.   
  
“A brand new star. One nobody’s seen before. I mean, except me. I made it. But I want you to be the first to see it. I worked really hard to get it done ahead of schedule so no one’s come around yet to do the safety tests and such. They never really appreciate it. Seeing a new star is all business to them.” Raphael rolled his eyes. “But I thought you might.”   
  
“Oh,” Aziraphale sighed. “That would be wonderful.” His research could wait, he decided. There couldn’t be any harm in a little change of scenery.   
  
Raphael grinned. “Come on then! Let’s go!”    
  
He took Aziraphale’s hand and the study faded away except for a point in front of them, which was washed away by a growing brightness. Aziraphale gasped as the newborn star came into focus before them.   
  
“It’s beautiful,” he murmured.    
  
Raphael grinned, watching the star’s reflection shimmer in Aziraphale’s eyes. Its light brought flecks of gold out of the blue that he hadn’t noticed before. “I knew you’d like it.”    
  
Aziraphale turned toward him, and Raphael realized how close together they were standing. He also realized that he was still holding Aziraphale’s hand. He loosened his grip, forcing down a blush he hoped Aziraphale couldn’t see, but Aziraphale just held on tighter.    
  
“Thank you,” Aziraphale said softly, leaning in even closer. “I do appreciate it.” Sparkling eyes focused on Raphael’s for any sign of disagreement, he leaned in and kissed the redheaded angel. Raphael, feeling as though he had accidentally replaced his heart with a white hot newborn star, kissed him back.   
  
“Well, isn’t this unfortunate,” an icy voice declared. The two broke apart, wide eyes locked together for a second before turning to the interrupter. A point of brilliant light, suspended in midair grew and dimmed until Gabriel appeared, hands clasped formally behind his back.    
  
“What- how- I- schedule-“ Raphael spluttered.   
  
“Did you really think we weren’t keeping an eye on you? That we would have anything but unwavering vigilance over Her new creations?” Gabriel asked, his face covered in mocking pity.   
  
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Aziraphale broke in. “There’s no rule-“   
  
“You abandoned your posts, abandoned your duties, therefore questioning Her plans and authorities, to go fool around and waste time. We have galaxies to build, species to create here, and we don’t need these sorts of distractions. I don’t know what you thought you were doing, but it ends here. Get them,” he ordered.   
  
Two angelic guards snapped into existence behind Aziraphale and Raphael and before they could even think to resist, hellfire-forged handcuffs seared into their wrists, yanking their hands apart. In a blink, all five angels disappeared and the newborn star burned on as if nothing had occurred.   
  
When they were next conscious, Aziraphale and Raphael found themselves in a blindingly white cell. Just beyond ivory bars, whatever dimension they were in just seemed to fade into a sterile brightness on all sides. They lay, sprawled as if having been thrown, on the floor, facing each other. Their hands, shackled in front of them, were chained to the floor.    
  
“Raphael, are you all right?” Aziraphale whispered.    
  
“Yes, well, considering the c-“ Raphael’s response broke off into a hiss as he moved his hands and his shackles dug into his wrists. He grimaced. “Considering the circumstances, sure, I’m okay, but in general I’ve been better.”   
  
“Raphael,” Aziraphale began, “I’m so sor-“   
  
“No. You can’t apologize. I’m the one who didn’t follow directions. I’m the one who got too cocky thinking he could outthink The Plan. I’m sorry.”   
  
“I can be sorry too,” Aziraphale insisted. “I didn’t stop you, and I, er, crossed a boundary. We got each other into this mess.” He reaches out a hand, wincing at the burn of the cuffs but not stopping, and takes Raphael’s hand. “And we’ll get out of this mess, or deal with the consequences of it, or whatever, together.”   
  
“Aziraphale, I-“ Raphael began, but he quickly shut his mouth as a shadow fell across their connected hands. As Gabriel materialized, the look of disdain on his face grew deeper at the sight of the united pair.   
  
“I see you haven’t reconsidered your choices. What a pity. But luckily for you, it has been decided that you are to receive heaven’s mercy, despite your misguided decisions. Or, at least, one of you will,” Gabriel said. Aziraphale lifted his head, trying to quell the spark of hope that had just been struck in his mind. Maybe they would just get a warning. It would be difficult, but if it meant keeping Raphael safe, he resigned himself to ending their relationship. He would be busy guarding the Gate soon anyway, so maybe that would be enough of a distraction from the loneliness. Caught up in these deliberations, Aziraphale almost forgot the second piece of Gabriel’s statement.    
  
“One of us?” he asked.   
  
“It’s all very practical, from a business point of view,” asserted Gabriel. “We have to punish at least one of you, or else we have no way of maintaining order. However, She is not in the habit of creating new angels, so disposing of both of you would be a waste. So, only one of you will Fall and the other will get his memories erased and rejoin Her forces as a proper, pure angel.”   
  
Aziraphale’s heart felt like it had just been torn out through his back, leaving a hole through which all the air in his lungs whooshed out. He let out a small, strangled noise of shock.   
  
“Go ahead and do it, then,” Raphael challenged. His veneer of furious confidence would have been convincing if Aziraphale hadn’t been able to feel his hand trembling. “Get it over with if you’re trying to be so efficient.“   
  
“Well, you see, there’s a catch.” Gabriel smirked. “You are both to blame in this ... unfortunate mistake. We cannot make a fair, simple guilty and not guilty verdict, since your crimes are shared, yet the punishments are so vastly different. Therefore, it is up to the two of you to decide who gets which fate. When you’ve decided, call my name and I will return to administer your justice.”   
  
With that, Gabriel vanished. For the first half hour, the cell was completely silent.    
  
“They can’t,” Raphael finally whispered.   
  
“They are,” Aziraphale replied, barely audible.    
  
“No! That’s not how- fair- just-“   
  
“But we did something wrong. I mean, according to them. It didn’t feel wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that we did what they accuse us of.”   
  
“Loving?”   
  
Aziraphale paused. “Loving. Breaking the rules. It’s all the same to them. Not following The Plan.”   
  
They lapsed again into silence, each overwhelmed by the question ahead of them.    
  
“I’ll do it,” Raphael declared. “You didn’t ask for this. I got you into it. I started all this. I’m the one who stepped out of line first and led you astray. I’ll Fall. It’s what I deserve.”   
  
“We’ve gone over this,” Aziraphale protested. “We’re both at fault. Even Gabriel thinks so. We chose our path together, mistaken or not. It doesn’t matter who did what when. I’ve got to be the one to Fall. I’m just a Principality. It won’t matter if I go missing. I’m easy to replace.”   
  
“Aziraphale, no, you-“   
  
“I am. You’ve got bigger responsibilities. You’ve got the stars, remember? The universe needs you around.”   
  
“I don’t care about the universe. I don’t care about the stars or The Plan. I care about you. They’ll just give some other angel a promotion or whatever and the stars will get made, whether I’m there or not.”   
  
“But-“   
  
“I’m the replaceable one. Not you. There’s not a single angel among the host that could replace you. None of them could care as much as you do. You put just as much - no, more work into caring about the universe than I do tinkering with it. That’s what the universe really needs: someone who cares about it.” Raphael leaned in and put a gentle hand on Aziraphale’s cheek. “And I’m not going to let them take that away.”   
  
Aziraphale leaned into the touch and opened his mouth to argue his next point, but Raphael’s grip tightened on both his hand and face, pulling him in closer until his forehead rested against Raphael’s.   
  
“I love you.”   
  
“I love you, too.”   
  
“I’m sorry.”   
  
Aziraphale’s eyes widened, but his realization came too late.   
  
“You will wake up having dreamed of what you like best,” Raphael murmured. Panicked blue eyes glazed over, unfocused, and fluttered closed. Aziraphale slumped forward, and Raphael caught him, gently cradling him before setting him on the floor.    
  
Raphael stood. “Gabriel,” he called, his voice cracking. He shook his head and squared his shoulders. That wasn’t how he wanted to go.    
  
Gabriel materialized just on the other side of the cell bars. “Have you made your decision?”   
  
“Yes. I have. I will Fall.”   
  
“Very well. Your decision has been heard. Any last words?”   
  
“Just a message for him.” Raphael glanced back at Aziraphale, sleeping peacefully on the floor. With all the lines of worry smoothed away, he looked more angelic than ever. A swell of emotion caught in Raphael’s throat and nearly prevented him from speaking. “You take the high road and I’ll take the low road and we will meet again.”   
  
“I will deliver this message. But you know he won’t remember you, right?”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“Well then. Goodbye, Raphael.”   
  
When Aziraphale awoke, he was back in his study. As the room came into focus, the memory of his dream flowed out of his mind like water through a sieve. There had been an angel, he thought, with red hair, but no name came to mind and the memory faded into oblivion.    
  
“I have a message for you,” said a voice from the doorway. Aziraphale turned and couldn’t figure out why it seemed wrong that Gabriel was the one standing there. “‘You take the high road and I’ll take the low road and we will meet again.’”   
  
“What does that mean?” Aziraphale asked.    
  
“I don’t know. Don’t concern yourself about it. You’re behind on your preparations for the garden. Focus on that.”   
  
Aziraphale nodded. “Oh. Yes. That. I will.” Studiously as ever, he returned to his research and the message faded to the back of his mind.    
  
Millennia later, in a cottage in South Downs, Aziraphale mentions to the demon Crowley that a certain Scottish song [1] sounds terribly familiar, but that he could swear he’s never heard it before. “It’s very strange. Ever since we switched forms, I’ve had these odd flashes of memories I don’t quite recognize.”   
  
A huge crash echoes through the cottage as every plant in the attached greenhouse falls over. A quick miracle later, the greenhouse is back in order. It takes far longer for minds and memories to get back in order. But eventually, they do. Eventually, they really do meet again.   


**Author's Note:**

> [1] Aforementioned song is “(The Bonnie Banks o') Loch Lomond"


End file.
